I’m so excited to share with you that I’ve been invited to be a guest teacher in the beautiful, online holistic workshop called Spectrum this year. What’s more, is that I have one spot to give away as part of the Give-Away Blog-Hop!

Organized by Hali Karla of Hali Karla Arts, Spectrum 2016 will be guided by 20 NEW featured teachers and more than 20 returning contributors offering a variety of workshops, inspiration and invitations – all intended to empower, nurture and celebrate your innate creative expression, healing journey, and personal development.

During the workshop (which starts May 2nd), there will be weekly inspiration & reflective activities related to mixed-media art-making and journaling, guidance on integrating your creative process and holistic awareness into your day-to-day life, and a variety of opportunities to connect, support, and share with others in the growing Holistic-Creative online community.

Talk about a powerful collection of words! You can expect a variety of perspectives on these topics and so much more. I’m excited even just to be participating in such a rich, diverse collective!

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To learn more about the details, including all of the contributors and workshop offerings for this course CLICK RIGHT HERE.

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Dancing in the Unknown

For my particular offering, I decided to focus on the prompt “navigating uncertainty”.

I believe being uncomfortable with uncertainty and the unknown play a big role in our fears and how we navigate our decisions in life. From the minute everyday decisions, to the big, life-changing decisions, our fear stands in the way of us hearing our true wisdom.

But what happens when we become more comfortable with the unknown? Our fear loosens its grip, we’re more easily able to hear our intuition… our Soul, and we can make better decisions more aligned with our Soul’s purpose.

Join me, as we step into the unknown, and use creativity as a tool to expand our comfort zone with uncertainty, listen deeply within, learn to navigate our fear, and start to build trust in our inner knowing… Trust in ourselves.

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Pre-registration officially opens on February 1, 2016 (and the program begins May 2). So be sure to sign up for email updates below if you want to get notified when the doors open!

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Enter the Give-Away

I have one free pass for Spectrum 2016 to offer you! To enter the drawing, please do each of the following:

#1. Share – Please share this post on your social media channels. You can find handy links at the bottom of this post, or feel free to pin an image to Pinterest!

#2. Comment – Share with me below in the comments why you’d like to join us in Spectrum. What has you intrigued? Or, Why do you feel this class would be good for you?

Blog-Hop Contributors

Below is a list of the other teachers who are playing along in the Spectrum 2016 blog-hop, with the dates their give-away goes live. Be sure to visit their site and enter there as well for extra chances to win!

Six amazingly talented artists are coming together to bring you a book full of unique, fun designs that each feature a word or question to prompt further mindful exploration. Our hope is that it not only brings you some time for simple creative play, but also a doorway to hear your inner wisdom.

This printed(!!) book will be available THIS November!!

Want to learn more and stay updated? Visit the webpage and sign up for updates at: ColorForClarity.com

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I snuck away to an art retreat this past weekend.

Ever since I’ve returned home, I’ve been trying to find words to describe my experience. But, there are none that will fully capture the mixed emotions and magic that flowed through me. All I can do is try to share my story as it unfolded…

As an introvert and someone who’s recovering from childhood shyness, stepping into this experience was SCARY. Sure, I’ve had practice showing up through You-Tube videos and over the phone doing life coaching – but this was IN PERSON and with people I’ve never met. This was the very first time I was leaping with faith to meet new people and show up as the “real me”.

The sheer amount of people at Squam was overwhelming at first. Stepping into the dining hall almost had me spiraling back to my high school days of overwhelm and isolation. But luckily, our first meal had assigned seats. And every person I encountered greeted me with a smile and was genuinely interested in getting to know me.

I was trying to keep an open mind. To stay open to whatever experience wanted to unfold for me. But for the first day or so, I started to think this wasn’t for me. I was telling myself that I would do better with a smaller retreat. One where you’re with the same people for the whole duration. One where I am forced to be with the same group so I wouldn’t have to be thrown into the unknown so often. But of course, that was only fear talking. I was stretching my comfort zone.

I was grateful that it was easy to honor my introverted nature throughout the trip. We were surrounded by fresh air, trees, water, animals, and pockets of quiet. Any time I felt overwhelmed, I was able to slip away to the woods or my cabin to find peace.

I continued to stay open, and allow myself to have the best experience possible; even though I was feeling that I would probably never do this again. As time went on, my ego mind began to realize that this environment was different than any I had ever experienced before. There was an overall vibe of inclusion and love and understanding that was refreshing and comforting. The community held each other up like we were all long lost sisters. There was no exclusion, or judgement, or drama – there was just love and excitement and openness.

And slowly I began to form bonds with the women that I saw most often – those that shared a cabin with me and the others nearby. The world of Squam began to shrink – in a good way. I was no longer lost in a sea of strangers. The closeness and connection I was seeking began to unfold naturally within the expansiveness. But it wouldn’t have happened if I had closed down, if I had run away in fear, if I had given in to the thoughts that I did not belong there.

The magic and transformation I felt within has no words, for I still don’t even understand it fully myself. “It was amazing!” is all I can muster when someone asks me how it went.

I laughed, I cried, I connected, I withdrew, I created, I shopped, I danced, I painted, I ate, I hugged, I hiked, I swam, I stretched, I grew… I experienced what it was like to live in a world run by creativity and love.

And now that it’s over, do I feel like I would do it again?

OH, HELL YES!!

With Love,

PS I’ve been growing a lot these past few weeks… it’s been quite an adventure! I need to sit with it and let it all sink in. But in the meantime, my secret artist collaboration is coming up quick and I can no longer keep it a secret! I’ll be spilling the beans on Monday. I started this project months ago, and of course, had no idea the shifts I’d be going through now – but it’s a welcome distraction and something that will begin to ground me. I can’t wait to share it with all of you!

As I develop my art journaling practice, I find myself moving further and further away from what I see others call “art journaling”. So I began to think… perhaps what I’m doing is something different.

Should I refer to it as visual journaling?

What does that term even mean?

What does “art journaling” even mean?

Is there a difference?

I knew on some level what these terms meant to me, but I was curious to see if others define them in the same way. So, I invited four other journal artists to share their insights to these questions. And here… is our conversation:

How would you define “art journaling” and “visual journaling”? Does it really make a difference what it is? What’s your intention when coming to the page? Leave a comment below, and let’s continue the conversation!

I believe in sharing our stories because they can be so powerful in helping others see parts of themselves in them. Which is why I decided to share my own story in how I came to develop my transformative art journaling practice. I know you’ll be able to relate to at least one part of my journey; and my hope is that my story will inspire you to find your own path in art journaling instead of getting stuck comparing yourself to others.

Hear my story, then share yours below. Where are you in your own journey? Have you found yourself stuck in a similar research trap? Or perhaps you’ve started already but aren’t so happy with your results.

Tell us your story in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear it, and you never know who else will benefit from what you have to share.

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About Kristal

Kristal is a creative life coach who helps women reclaim their creative magic, reconnect with their Soul, and realize their innate magnificence so they can lead a more authentic, fulfilling life. Click here to read more...